slipper

1 of 2

adjective

slip·​per ˈsli-pər How to pronounce slipper (audio)
chiefly dialectal

slipper

2 of 2

noun

: a light low-cut shoe that is easily slipped on the foot
slippered adjective

Examples of slipper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
To bring the character down to earth, his leather boots have been swapped for black slippers, while Tatiana enters the act in an ankle-length ruby red gown that steals the limelight. Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 23 Jan. 2025 Ugg Exposed Seam Suede Gloves For those who love the feeling of Ugg’s fuzzy shearling lining in shoes or slippers, imagine how that material would feel in glove form around your hands? Nicol Natale, People.com, 21 Jan. 2025 Instead, wear them through check-in, security, and boarding, then change into a slim pair of slippers or sandals after take-off. Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 16 Jan. 2025 To ensure his footsteps didn’t interrupt the scenes, Soderbergh donned a pair of black nylon slippers with rubber grips on the soles. Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for slipper 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English slipir, sliper "causing something to slide or slip, deceitful," going back to Old English slipor, sliper, going back to Germanic *slip-ra- (whence also Old High German sleffar "sloping downward"), adjective derivative from the base of Germanic *sleipan- (strong verb) "to slide, slip" (whence Middle Dutch slīpen "to smooth, polish, sharpen," Middle Low German, "to glide, sink, slip," Old High German slīfan "to slide, pass away, decline"), of uncertain origin

Note: The adjective slipper has been effectively replaced by its derivative slippery, though the former was in existence in dialect late enough to be noticed by the Survey of English Dialects, which recorded it in Devon and Cornwall (see Survey of English Dialects: The Dictionary and Grammar, Routledge, 1994, s.v.). — The Germanic verb has been compared with Greek olibrón, glossed by Hesychius with olisthērón "slippery," though the assumption of an Indo-European etymon *h3slib-ro-, with both *b and a laryngeal preceding a sibilant, seems questionable. Parallel to *sleipan- is a verb *sleupan- "to creep, glide," which has been explained as a secondary formation based on near-synonymous *sleuban- (see slip entry 5, sleeve). As all these bases are ultimately of phonesthemic origin and can presumably be reshaped by variation of phonesthemic origin, it is difficult to disentangle inheritance from innovation. Compare slip entry 1.

Noun

Middle English slypper, from slippen "to slip entry 1" + -er -er entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slipper was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near slipper

Cite this Entry

“Slipper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slipper. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

slipper

noun
slip·​per
ˈslip-ər
: a light low shoe without laces that is easily slipped on or off
slippered
-ərd
adjective

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